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On the MUve in Warsaw and Winona Lake

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Blog Posts by Karly Prichard '17 and Lauren Hughes '17

We’ve heard the question “What is there to do on the weekend?” one too many times. So, we explored nearby cities to find the best activities for our tight budgets. In this blog post, we have included everything from outdoor activities and events, to the best shops and local restaurants to ensure there is a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy!

I’ve lived in Warsaw for over a year, yet I still feel like there is so much in Warsaw left to uncover. As Lauren and I researched the places we wanted to visit and eat, we found so many places we’d never heard about nor been to. We were excited to explore a city that was so close to MU.

So far, I’ve ordered tacos at each place we’ve been to so it seemed natural to have our first stop be 26th Street Mexican Grill. I ordered veggie tacos, which aren’t on the menu but they’ll make it by request. My meal, which included two tacos and chips + salsa, was right around $3. I’ll definitely be making my way back there for the delicious tacos.

Next, we made our way downtown to Center Lake and Central Park. Central Park has a garden full of the brightest and widest variety of flowers I’ve ever seen. The pictures don’t even do it justice.

At the park there is also space for concerts and events. You can see the event calendar here.

Across from the park, Center Lake has beach access and picnic tables. This is another place I will add to my list of places to take a picnic or study. I brought a book to read and we stuck around for a while before heading to our next stop.

Lauren and I window shopped and walked around the downtown area before picking which places we wanted to visit.

We stopped at a locally owned boutique called Elysian Co. They carry jewelry, clothing, shoes, and home goods from local businesses, along with items from larger companies likes Rifle Paper Co, Roma, The Giving Keys, and Purevida bracelets, etc.

The Winona Lake Trails and Park are one of my favorite and most visited places in Warsaw/Winona Lake. The paved trails wind through The Village and park to a woods that has both paved paths and trails for biking, walking, running, etc. From start to end, the trail is approximately 3 miles. My favorite part about the trails is seeing so many people in the community being active with their family and friends and encouraging to me as we pass each other. There are also events happening about all year long on the trails and in the park that are typically free or only cost a registration fee including races, concerts, food tastings, etc.

Although we didn’t visit the following places, we’ve heard the following places are local favorites!